DLTK's Crafts for Kids
Five Little Groundhogs Felt Board Characters

You can use the rhyme with the templates a few ways.  Try giving each child one of the templates and letting them hold theirs up at the appropriate time in the rhyme (you can tape a straw or popsicle stick onto the bottom to make them like puppets...  The kids seem to like waving puppets around more than just holding up pieces of paper).

You could also make the templates as felt board characters. Simply glue a small piece of coarse sandpaper or felt onto the back of each template so it will hang on the felt board.  Place the pieces onto the felt board as you do the rhyme.

Optional:  cover the templates in clear contact paper (bought as a roll from your local office supply store for under $5) to make them last longer.

Materials:

• something to color with if using the B&W version,
• scissors,
• glue,
• paper

Rhyme:

The first little groundhog digs a home in the fall,
And curls up all winter rolled up like a ball.

The second little groundhog comes out of his lair,
On February second to get some fresh air.

The third little groundhog looks up at the sun,
He then sees his shadow and goes on the run.

The fourth little groundhog at his dark shadow peeks,
He goes back to his burrow for six more weeks.

The fifth little groundhog hopes that skies will be gray,
So that he will know that spring is on its way.

Instructions:

• Print out the template of choice.
• Color (where appropriate).
• Cut out the template pieces -- the dotted lines around the pieces make them very easy for young children to cut out.
• To make a paper sheet into a felt board character:  cut out a small piece of felt or coarse sandpaper and tape or glue it on the back of each character.  The sandpaper or felt will allow the characters to stick on your felt board.  You can also laminate or cover with clear contact paper to make it longer lasting.

Templates:

• Close the template window after printing to return to this screen.
• Set page margins to zero if you have trouble fitting the template on one page (FILE, PAGE SETUP or FILE, PRINTER SETUP in most browsers).

Template 1    (color)   or   (B&W)

Template 2    (color)   or   (B&W)

Template 3    (color)   or   (B&W)

Printable Template of the Rhyme
(color)   or   (B&W)

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